A thought experiment. . .

1. Cyborgs are properly defined by their incorporation of technologies which enable them to surpass full human capacities in such a way that their technologies’ disincorporation would precipitate the individual experiencing a meaningful loss of capacity.

1.1 This definition excludes, for example, persons with pacemakers, artificial hearts, or contact lenses.

1.2 It could include, as a counter-example, the regular use of pharmeceuticals that would demonstrably surpass “full human capacities.”

1.21 These human-surpassed technologies grant cyborgs what might be termed “excess capacities,” as opposed to “full human capacities.” (A nod to Georges Bataille.)

1.3 It remains possible that the incorporation of cyborg technologies could deprive a cyborg of certain “full human capacities” even as it grants “excess capacities” in their place, a scenario that could be called the “cyborg opportunity cost.”

2. Assuming the advent of cyborgs, any future “global citizen” will be a cyborg.

2.1 Already, the development of the global civil sector depends largely upon telecom technologies. When the children of today’s telecom technologies are incorporated in human bodies, the resulting cyborgs will be formidable global actors.

2.12 It is possible that a global citizenry will arise before the advent of cyborg technologies. In such a case, we would then refer to “proto-cyborgs” in these theses.

3. Any future “global civil sector” will be an agora of cyborgs.

3.1 Contraints on access to cyborg technologies could recreate the situation of the Greek city-states: full democracy for “citizens” and no meaningful political participation for the rest.

3.2 The “excess capacities” of cyborgs would of necessity grant them superior networking capacities, accelerating the city-state scenario with or without any contraints to access.

4. Any future “global social contract” will be founded by, imprinted by, and imprinted upon cyborgs.

4.1 It is likely that a cyborg “global social contract” would be created by cyborgs and for cyborgs, since they would have a monopoly on political participation.

4.11 The cyborg agora will be in the same power-relation to non-cyborg organisms as modern humanity was to “nature.”

4.2 Contraints to access will help determine the degree of ingrained inequality in the social contract.

4.3 The relative superiority of excess capacities to full human capacities will help determine the degree of ingrained inequality in the social contract.

4.31 If excess capacities turn out to be only nominally superior to full human capacities (for example, enabling enbodied telecom functions), then cyborgs will be the new “differently-abled,” celebrating a broad spectrum of new capacities that grant cyborgs the equivalent of new “knacks,” “talents,” or “skills.”

4.32 If excess capacities turn out to be significantly superior to full human capacities (for example, prolonging human lifespan), then cyborgs will have strong incentives to create contraints to access.

4.4 Widespread fear of cyborgs could lead to the reactionary creation of constaints to access by non-cyborgs.